CONTENTS. Exciting new research project: Vaccine efficacy against NZ strains of Streptococcus equi (strangles)

Transcription

1 Spring 2012 The Off icial Publication of The New Zealand Equine Research Foundation Volume 18, No. 1 Exciting new research project: Vaccine efficacy against NZ strains of Streptococcus equi (strangles) The NZERF Board has recently approved funding for Dr Ray Cursons from the Department of Sc ience and Engineering, University of Waikato, to continue his groundbreaking studies into strangles in New Zealand. The disease strangles, which is caused by infection of horses with a bacterium called Streptococcus equi (S. equi), is the most frequently diagnosed contagious disease of horses worldwide. The disease is characterized by abscessation of lymph nodes in the neck. The surrounding tissue becomes swollen and in very severe cases can strangle affected horses by blocking their airway. When the abscesses burst the material from the draining abscess is highly infectious and can contaminate pastures, barns and feed troughs. Strangles is further complicated because some infected horses may not completely clear the infection and become carriers, shedding the organism but showing no signs of the disease. There are over 100 different strains of S. equi throughout the world and New Zealand has two of these strains. The control of many contagious diseases occurs through the use of spec ific vacc ines that act by stimulating the immune system Dr. Ray Cursons and increasing resistance to the disease. In New Zealand there are two different vacc ines licensed for sale to provide protection against strangles. There is an assumption that both vacc ines will provide equal protection against both S. equi strains but this may not necessarily be the case. The study plans to test how effective the two different vacc ines are in providing protection against the two different New Zealand S. equi strains by measuring horses antibody responses to the vacc ine against the two different strains as well as measuring the ability of the vacc inated horses white blood cells to kill S. equi. CONTENTS NEW STRANGLES RESEARCH Dr Ray Cursons 1 WAIKATO STUD YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2 BAYER LECTURE SERIES 2 AUSTRALIAN RACING INCIDENT DATABASE Simon Cooper 3 VETERINARIAN/FARRIER TRAVEL GRANT REPORT Dr Neil Houston 4 NZ FILLY SILENT ACHIEVER BACKS NZERF YOUNG ACHIEVER 6 CHAIRPERSON S CORNER 7 NZERF CONTACT INFORMATION 8 Multi Vitamins & Organic Minerals This newsletter is sponsored by

2 Lucy Cahill is Awarded the Waikato Stud Young Achiever of the Year Award Palmerston North s Lucy Cahill is the latest rec ipient of the Waikato Stud Young Achiever of the Year Award. Lucy graduated from Massey University in 2008 and has since been employed in the Palmerston North practice of Totally Vets Ltd as a full time Equine Veterinarian. Her caseload includes Thoroughbred stud work, rac ing stable work and sport horse/pleasure horse work. Lucy has a long term commitment to working as an equine veterinarian in New Zealand. The Young Achiever Award was established by the New Zealand Equine Research Foundation and Waikato Stud to financ ially assist an individual under the age of 35 years in their career in the equine industry. Applicants may be a post-graduate, masters or honours student undertaking study or research in an area of equine sc ience; an individual pursuing any spec ialised equine study or course (including farriery); an individual committed to embarking on a career in the equine industry or an individual already contributing to the equine industry who wishes to further their career. Lucy will utilise her scholarship to undertake a season as an equine emergency and critical care intern at the Clovelly Intensive Care Unit, Scone Equine Hospital, New South Wales. The ICU is run under the supervision and guidance of Dr Jane Axon, a registered spec ialist in Equine Medic ine. Dr Axon was the presenter in New Zealand of the 2011 Bomac Lectures All About Foals. Lucy is an outstanding young professional and we are sure she will put her experience at Clovelly to good use when she Lucy and Margaret Evans returns to New Zealand, commented NZERF Chair Margaret Evans when announc ing the Scholarship. We are also indebted to Waikato Stud for their financ ial support of this award. Waikato Stud and the Chittick family have generously sponsored this Award since its inception. Previous rec ipients of the Award have been Dr Harry Carslake, Massey University, and Dr Franc is Peat, Matamata Bayer Lecture Series a great success! Andrea Ritmeester, Matamata Veterinary Services This year s key-note speaker for the Bayer Lecture series, Dr. Sue McDonnell, was extremely well-received and presented a fasc inating talk on equine behaviour and learning, followed by a series of case-based examples of equine behavioural issues. Dr. McDonnell is a world-renowned behaviouralist and maintains a herd of semi-wild ponies spec ifically for the study of equine physiology and behaviour under semiwild conditions. She spec ifically addressed methods for training horses to tolerate routine health care and veterinary procedures such as needle sticks and application of intra-nasal, oral and eye medications using primarily positive re-inforcement. It was remarkable to see what could be accomplished with even semi-wild horses using minimal restraint to get these procedures accomplished! In her second presentation Dr. McDonnell detailed a series of horses presented to the New Bolton veterinary school Equine Behaviour Programme for evaluation of various behavioural issues. It quickly became apparent that many horses displaying behavioural issues have underlying physical issues that need to be diagnosed and treated. The case series gave a fasc inating insight into the complexities of equine behaviour and the challenges assoc iated with addressing abnormal behaviour patterns. The Bayer Lecture Series is an annual event that is extremely worthwhile attending no matter what equine field you work in. This year s talk was very well attended and, judging by the amount of questions asked, certainly provided a lot of food for thought to all those in attendance.

3 Spring The Off icial Publication of The of The New New Zealand Zealand Equine Equine Research Research Foundation Foundation Volume 18, 15, No. 1 Australian Racing Incident Database Developing reliable and objective data on racing injuries and fatalities Simon Cooper, NZ Thoroughbred Racing The rac ing industry has an ethical and legal responsibility to actively address any rider health & safety and horse welfare issues as they arise. This includes ensuring that up-to-date, reliable and objective data on injuries and fatalities is available, and assessing this data to highlight problem areas or emerging trends and dealing with them. The New Zealand Equine Research Foundation (NZERF) re-ignited this debate in early 2012 in alignment with New Zealand Thoroughbred Rac ing s (NZTR) renewed focus on animal welfare. The NZERF, NZTR, Harness Rac ing New Zealand (HRNZ) and the Rac ing Integrity Unit (RIU) carried out some preliminary work including looking at recording systems employed elsewhere around the world. It was agreed that the most appropriate course was to join the existing Australian Rac ing Inc ident Database (ARID). The ARID system is designed to allow recording of all information in under a minute with a minimum number of ticks and comments. This is important for standardisation and analysis as both risk factor analysis and time series analysis for trends involve the use of categorical data. The ARID system forms are not only designed to allow quicker recording of all information but will provide for more accurate and comprehensive data collection. Data is automatically coded, making analysis possible. The hierarchical coding system means that analysis can be done at multiple levels e.g. analyse data from all horses with problems in the near fore, with hoof problems in the near fore, or with sole punctures in the near fore. The main purpose of this initiative is to give New Zealand rac ing access to more complete data for analysis and to assist in the development of safety and welfare initiatives for riders and horses, provide benchmarks for racetracks around the country to ensure that all tracks are as safe as possible, and to provide accurate information to the media, government agenc ies, welfare groups and others on aspects of injury and mortality. When an inc ident occurs on-course, either on a race day or at a trial, the track doctor or vet completes the standard inc ident report form. A copy of the report is provided to the Stewards, and the data is submitted to a centralised database. Once the system has been aligned to the system in Australia, it is intended all completed forms are forwarded electronically to RIU Head Office after each race meeting or barrier trial for the RIU to enter into ARID. The inc ident data is linked to existing data about the horse, track and meeting and allows detailed background information to be extracted for analysis around potential injury risk factors. Criteria for whether or not a form is required to be completed for horse inc idents are as follows: a. Death or injury leading to euthanasia on-course b. Serious injuries (e.g. breakdowns where the horse can be moved off-course) c. Lameness d. Bleeders e. Post-race distress/exhaustion f. Heat stress g. Cardiac arrhythmia h. Poor post-race recovery i. Wounds/lacerations that will likely interrupt future training j. Any inc ident, injury or condition that prevents a horse from starting, or has an impact on its performance Criteria for completion of a rider form is death or serious injury that cause a rider to be transported off-course to a hospital; any inc ident, injury or condition that causes a rider to not fulfill any of his/her engagements; and any inc ident, injury or condition that has an impact on his/ her performance. To be able to enter all New Zealand race day inc idents, all meetings, races and runners need to be supplied to Rac ing Information Services Australia (RISA) to load into their IRIS database system before being transferred to Rac ing Victoria s (RVL) Sirius system where ARID resides. Rac ing Victoria s Sirius does not currently have all New Zealand meetings in the database. The only time a New Zealand meeting is created is when a New Zealand horse s form is loaded in preparation for rac ing in Australia. When this occurs only basic data is supplied and loaded to provide the form requirements of the horse. Software development to input New Zealand data, issuing passwords for database access, and determining system access rights will be progressed after the above issues are resolved. The group involved in developing ARID in New Zealand apprecated the extensive cooperation of Rac ing NSW, Rac ing Victoria and the Australian Rac ing Board for advice and agreement to include New Zealand in the ARID system.

4 Veterinarian/Farrier Travel Grant Report Dr. Neil Houston With the support of the NZERF I was fortunate to spend 12 days in April at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, along with farrier Marcel Veart-Smith, also of Auckland. This trip was a unique experience to gather new ideas and knowledge. The Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is one of two large equine hospitals in Lexington. It employs 52 veterinarians and a total staff of 210. The bulk of our time was spent in the podiatry department established by Dr. Scott Morrison. His knowledge and enthusiasm has seen him become one of the veterinary world s leading authorities on hoof problems. Scott is one of a team of 5 equine podiatrists, who hold both vet and farrier qualifications. They are ably supported by technic ians, a fabricating engineer and fac ilities that would be the envy of any farrier. The Club Foot A club foot can be part of the conformation of a horse, ie the shape of the hoof that it was born with, or frequently occurs as a result of an injury to the leg or hoof, which results in decreased weight bearing and subsequent contraction of the hoof or clubbiness. A club foot is usually defined as a hoof which has contraction so that the hoof pastern axis is broken forward and the heel is contracted or longer than in a normally conformed hoof. There were a variety of hoof conditions seen by these equine podiatrists: Laminitis Classically this disease is caused by obesity and overfeeding but often it can be the result of a medical condition causing endotoxaemia such as metritis or colic. Laminitis is broadly classified into acute or chronic; the acute phase can be followed by a sub-acute phase where there is no discernable rotation of the pedal bone and eventual recovery, or there can be progression to chronic laminitis. As early as possible in the disease it should be established whether the pedal bone is sinking or rotating. These can be differentiated by careful palpation of the coronary band and the use of radiography. Laminitic with rocker shoe Radiographs showing a normal hoof on the left with indicators of sole depth and a laminitic hoof on the right which is sinking with markedly decreased sole depth. Laminitis is a dynamic disease which requires careful management and the treatment can vary dependent on the progression of the disease. Often continual ic ing of the hoof for 72 hours and wedging or raising the heel is used initially, then the heels are lowered over approx 6 weeks and the hoof is trimmed to normal anatomy as continued use of wedging eventually results in the development of quarter cracks. Severely contracted hoof or club foot in a filly with a chronic knee injury. Conformational club foot in a showjumper.

5 Spring The Off icial Publication of The of The New New Zealand Zealand Equine Equine Research Research Foundation Foundation Volume 18, 15, No. 1 Often a horse with a club foot can be shod so that the hoof is well supported and it can maintain an athletic career at least for some time. Typically theses horses are shod with heavier or wider shoes and rockered, with a curvature in the shoe to bring the break-over back from the tip of the toe. This helps reduce pressure on the tendons and supports the caudal phase of stride. If shod normally like this, rather than lowering the heels, it puts less stress on the tendons and in time the hoof will become more normal in its shape. Also a gel pad to cushion the sole and coffin joint, or other cushioning material over the sole helps with cushioning and reduc ing pressure on tendons as well. A constant mantra while treating the hoof is that it is a dynamic structure, different treatments are likely to be needed, and what works on one case will not necessarily work on the next similar case. Marcel and I were very grateful to be given the opportunity to see such a large and varied number of cases in an informal environment where it is often easier to learn compared with more formal methods such as lectures and conference proceedings. We both have already had the opportunity to use our knowledge back in NZ. It is exc iting as a veterinarian to be able to work together with farriers to achieve satisfying outcomes on problem hoof cases. Chronic club foot with changes to the pedal bone and thin sole The same horse 5 weeks after shoeing with rockered shoe and cushioning gel. We commend the NZERF on giving us the opportunity to experience farriery at its best and hope that many others have the opportunity also. NZERF Grant Approved: A comparison of equine stem cells derived from adipose tissue (fat), bone marrow and peripheral blood for the treatment of various lameness conditions in horses will be undertaken by Dr Lee Morris and Amy Redmond Hubbard of EquiBreed NZ Ltd. 3 in 1 Combination Liquid Wormer Liquid formulation for ease of dosing Low volume dose: 30mL per 600kg Bwt This project aims to determine what type of stem cell is best for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in the horse. The ultimate aim is to bank storable stem cells from a group of donor horses which can then be injected into injured horses as required. This type of treatment would benefit the equine industry by enhanc ing the welfare of horses and reduc ing costs assoc iated with injury and rehabilitation for owners and trainers. Further details will be reported in the next Bulletin. 250mL 1 Litre

6 NZ Filly Silent Achiever backs NZERF Young Achiever The NZ Equine Research Foundation is delighted to be able to continue its involvement with the Young Achiever Award thanks to the generosity of Valachi Downs Stud in Matamata who have committed to sponsoring this award for the next 3 years. It seems quite appropriate that the producers of the Group 1 NZ Derby winning filly Silent Achiever should be supporting this award. Stud owner Kevin Hickman has a genuine passion for rac ing and has been operating the stud at Matamata for the past 7 years. In a short space of time he has grown the property from a 50 acre block with a small band of mares into a successful breeding and rac ing operation, spread over 200 plus acres. This year Hickman s investment in the industry was vindicated when three year old filly Silent Achiever became the first filly since 1993 to win the NZ Derby. Kevin Hickman is no stranger to success, co founding the retirement village company Ryman Healthcare Ltd in Ryman has grown into one of New Zealand s Top 10 companies. Hickman was hands-on in the establishment and management of the company and retired from his leadership role as Managing Director in 2006, electing to spend his time in the pursuit of a Group 1 winner or two. Kevin and wife Joanna reside in Christchurch and are great supporters of South Island rac ing. Prior to their involvement in horse rac ing they were heavily involved in NZ athletics, both competing at high levels (Joanna still holds a NZ 400m record). Joanna went on to chair Athletics New Zealand while Kevin became actively involved as a coach for 20 odd years. Kevin Hickman and filly Silent Achiever Kevin and Joanna Hickman and Valachi Downs look forward to assisting a young industry partic ipant reach their own goals and are pleased to be assoc iated with this award. Valachi Downs Stud YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD Young people (35 years and under) throughout the Horse Industry are reminded of the opportunity to apply for this annual grant of $15,000 aimed at assisting them in their career development. Applications close on the 30th of November. Application forms are available from the Secretary or on our website. 0R[LGHFWLQ 3UD]LTXDQWHO 2[IHQGD]ROH 260 ml Multidose Bottles Contains 8 X 600 kg horse doses 1L Multidose Stud Packs Contains 33 X 600 kg horse doses 30g paste tubes Dial-a-dose syringe Dura-Hoof helps prevent frequent throwing of shoes, splitting and cracking, and leads to stronger, more durable hooves.

7 Spring The Off icial Publication of of The The New New Zealand Zealand Equine Equine Research Research Foundation Foundation Volume 15, 18, No. 1 Chairperson s Corner The NZERF Board is delighted to announce its continued support of people in the equine industry through a number of recent awards, grants and through education. The Board has approved funding of two exc iting and potentially groundbreaking projects: Dr Ray Cursons, University of Waikato, will continue his studies into strangles in New Zealand (see report in this issue) by measuring the effectiveness of current vacc ines; and Dr Lee Morris, Cambridge, will investigate the potential of stem cells sourced from various horse tissues to treat tendon injuries. Both researchers have recently had masterate students complete studies supported in part by the NZERF. Olivia Patty worked with Dr Cursons to identify the strains of strangles-causing bacteria found in New Zealand. After publishing her work, Olivia was invited to attend the prestigious Havemeyer Workshop in Lexington, Kentucky, to discuss her findings. This invitation indicates the quality and international impact of this NZERF-supported research. We congratulate Olivia and Dr Cursons on this achievement. Cleo Battie worked with Dr Morris to test the fertility of sperm taken from the epididymus of stallions at castration, and then frozen using different methods. Cleo discovered ways to freeze and thaw epididymal sperm that enabled them to result in pregnanc ies. Her results also increased our understanding of the physiology involved in production of sperm in stallions. This year s rec ipient of the Waikato Stud Young Achiever Award, Dr Lucy Cahill, has just begun her internship with Dr Jane Axon (the 2011 Bomac Lecturer) at the Scone Equine Hospital Intensive Care Unit, Clovelly, Australia. This Unit is world famous for its spec ialty of treating newborn foals. We are extremely grateful to Waikato Stud for sponsoring this sought after award for three years over which time we have had 3 outstanding rec ipients. The NZERF have also continued their initiative in sending a veterinarian and farrier together to the United States and in this Bulletin there is a report from Dr Neil Houston and Marcel Veart- Smith on their time at the Rood and Riddle veterinary clinic in Kentucky. We believe that there is benefit in the veterinarian and farrier coming from the same area, as they can then work together on their return, putting into practice the experience they have gained and spreading the word amongst fellow professionals in their region. This year s Bayer (formerly Bomac) Lecture series featured Dr Sue McDonnell, an expert in horse behaviour from the University of Pennsylvania. These lectures were popular, with approximately 500 people attending. We thank the 250 attendees who took the time to complete our questionnaire designed to find out what topics are of most interest, and where and when the lectures should be given. We also thank Barbara Harvey of our Board who has collated all the answers and prepared a report which will be considered by our Board at the next meeting. The new NZERF website ( will be launched shortly and will be continually updated to keep it as current as possible. We are consc ious that our website has not delivered in the recent past but believe we now have a process in place that will make it more informative in the future. We encourage you to visit the website for information about the NZERF s activities or to contact a member of our Board (contact details on the back page) with any feedback. I wish everyone well in the new season. Margaret J Evans Chair, NZERF The NZERF Board thank Dr Andrea Ritmeester and the Matamata Veterinary Services team for editing this Bulletin.

8 NZERF Contact Information The current Board Members are: Chairperson Dr Margaret Evans Christchurch Vice Chairperson Dr Tim Pearce Bulls Secretary Mr Allan Fenwick Marton Representing: Equine Researchers Dr Margaret Evans Christchurch ESNZ Dr Tim Pearce Bulls HRNZ Mr Edward Rennell Christchurch Massey University Professor Joe Mayhew Palmerston North NZEVA Dr Noel Power Hamilton NZPCA Mrs Barbara Harvey Opunake NZRB Mr Bill Colgan Wellington NZSBA Mr Bruce Graham Christchurch NZTBA Mr Michael Martin Auckland NZTR Mr Simon Cooper Wellington NZTR Dr John O Flaherty Te Aroha The Secretary, New Zealand Equine Research Foundation Inc c/o Manawatu Rac ing Centre, P O Box 52, Palmerston North 4440 Phone: Fax: nzerf@xtra.co.nz Website: Acknowledgements The New Zealand Equine Research Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following organisations who gratuitously distribute the 15,000 Bulletins we produce for horsemen and women throughout the New Zealand Horse Industry. The NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Assoc iation NZ Thoroughbred Rac ing (NZTR Thoroughbred Rac ing Monthly) Harness Rac ing New Zealand (Harness Rac ing Weekly) The NZ Standardbred Breeders Assoc iation Equestrian Sport New Zealand (ESNZ Bulletin) The NZ Equine Veterinary Assoc iation (Equine Veterinary Practitioner) NZ Farriers Assoc iation (Inc) (N.Z.F.A. Newsletter) NZ Thoroughbred Owners Federation (Bulletin) Taranaki Miniature Horses The Morgan Horse Assoc iation of NZ Inc. NZ Hanoverian Soc iety (Inc.) Bayer New Zealand Ltd 3 Argus Place, Hillcrest, Auckland 0627, New Zealand